WITH the news that Bobby Henderson鈥檚 long-awaited book The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is out and available at bookstores and online booksellers, our thoughts turn inevitably to the related topics of pasta and intelligent design. In particular they turn to an experiment performed by Thomas Schneider that, it is claimed, science cannot explain.
The methods section of the experiment gives the required information to ensure reproducibility in your home laboratory: 鈥淎pproximately 2.5 litres of pre-filtered, activated carbon filtered and reverse-osmosis purified H2O was poured into a 24.0-centimetre (inner diameter), 4.7-litre open metal nonstick-coated container to a final depth of approximately 5 centimetres, and brought to 100 掳C (liquid to gas transition). No NaCl was added. Approximately 40 pieces each of Penne Rigate and Rigatoni were added鈥︹�� (we omit the manufacturer details).
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In a random sample taken from the vessel it was found that three out of five Rigatoni individuals had acquired Rigate implants, forming the novel species Noodleous doubleous. At Schneider presents photographic evidence along with impressive-looking calculations (though he could use more Greek for effect) showing that the probability of the observed incidence of Noodleous doubleous is 2.05 脳 10-32. 鈥淎 viable hypothesis,鈥� he concludes, 鈥渋s that a divine Noodly Appendage of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was responsible.鈥� Quite so.
鈥溾�滶ntry fee (aliens) 拢8.50,鈥� it says on Lee Jones鈥檚 discount ticket to London鈥檚 Science Museum. So they do officially 别虫颈蝉迟鈥︹赌�
Just in case there are readers who find these references baffling, we should explain that Flying Spaghetti Monster theory is proposed by Henderson as an alternative to evolution and intelligent design that ought to be taught in American schools (see and Feedback, 6 August 2005).
CELLPHONE companies have a problem on their hands: selling new phones to people who already have several old ones. They seem convinced that what we all want is a dinky little phone that looks pretty in pink, has a colour screen, takes pictures, shows video鈥nd runs out of battery power just when you most need to make an old-fashioned phone call.
Nokia, the world leader in cellphones, used to sell a boring old phone with a black-and-white screen and no camera: the 6310i ran for a week on a single charge. But a couple of years ago Nokia stopped making it, declaring it obsolete.
Recently dealer Carphone Warehouse announced that it had second-hand 6310i phones to sell. They all went within days, at 拢100 each. There must surely be a moral here for any cellphone company with eyes to see.
DOUBLE glazing can make your home warm and safe. Very warm and very safe. In fact the leaflet that one manufacturer delivered to Bob Cowley promises: 鈥淣ow with one free phone call make your home infinitely safer and warmer.鈥�
The idea of infinite safety is intriguing. Does it imply immortality? And, as Cowley points out, surely infinite warmth is not safe at all. Apart from the local consequences, involving plasma and other exotic states of matter, merely calling that freephone number would appear to extract all the warmth from the rest of the universe, leading to a Big Crunch. Be warned.
KARL BIRKELAND recently bought a Coolpack cooling bag. Its manual states: 鈥淥ur combined cooling and heating bag, using thermoelectric technology through the use of advanced Peltier equipment, is a very good alternative for car drivers and sportsmen, particularly in Europe, America and Japan.鈥�
Birkeland wants to know if this means that thermoelectric technology doesn鈥檛 work so well in Africa, Oceania or mainland Asia.
A CHOICE paper title discovered by Samantha Bell in the course of her work for a journal of respiratory medicine is 鈥淒idgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: randomised controlled trial鈥� (BMJ, vol 332, p 266). We are puzzled, though. It is usual in such trials to use placebos in control groups for the purposes of comparison. We have tried and failed to imagine what a placebo didgeridoo looks like, or for that matter sounds like.
NECESSARY though it may be that the world of aviation is thoroughly regulated, it is nice to know that some freedoms remain. Sven Ericksen writes to inform us that the civil aviation authority of New Zealand explicitly permits the use of electric shavers during take-off and landing (see ). We can鈥檛 imagine why anyone would want to take advantage of this, but thanks for letting us know.
FINALLY, the American football report from Newsday that Sam Howison sent us states: 鈥淭he Steelers had to travel 1449 miles west and 5280 miles above sea level to end their string of agonising losses in the AFC Championship Game.鈥� Who can now claim there is no point to the space programme?